Black Diamond

One doesn't need much imagination to deduce that, after the runaway success of Macy Gray, the critical reanimation of Whitney Houston and the enduring mainstream popularity of Lauryn Hill, the race is very much on among the ever-cannibalising majors to push out the next big female R&B crossover artist for 2000.

Arista/BMG would appear to have gotten there first with Angie Stone. To go by her press releases and art direction, they are marketing her as a classic soul artist, a neo-seventies Natural Woman with more in common with Marvin and Stevie than Lauryn and Erykah. And, in an interesting plot twist, they are not wrong.

This is not to say that Black Diamond is a uniformly brilliant or groundbreaking album, but it is remarkable for the subtlety of its arrangements and production, and for an earthiness and emotional resonance you would be more likely to find on soul records from 25 years ago

In fact, in its finer moments - and there are a fair few - it evokes not only '70s soul but borrows well from the whole canon of seminal R&B, funk and disco, sounding instantly familiar while remaining modern. To wit: the sun-dappled 'No More Rain (In This Cloud)' builds a breathy slow groove from a Gladys Knight sample; and 'Life Story' is such an instant, anthemic disco-flavoured classic it is difficult to believe you don't already have it somewhere on vinyl.

Elsewhere, 'My Love will Give You Something' pinches a bass groove from 'Money' and fuses it to breakbeats, sassy keyboards, flute and shocks of brass; and the intimate realism of the lovely 'Heaven Help' has the heart of Prince's classic 'Money Don't Matter 2 Night'.

Stone's voice is low, smouldering and tactile, with just a whisper of sandpaper: Roberta Flack recast as street-savvy chainsmoking earth mother, Aretha Franklin an octave down and too relaxed to raise her voice.

Stone is no newcomer, but an ex-rapper from the Sugar Hill label, an erstwhile songwriter for Mary J Blige and Lenny Kravitz and a co-writer and producer of some repute from her collaborations with D'Angelo. Before the summer's out, however, you'll almost definitely know far more about her.